Mortgage Troubles? Try a House Billboard

Few surfaces are safe from paid promotion these days, and now the mobile advertising network Adzookie is targeting homes. But there’s an upside: Homeowners get their mortgages paid while the billboards remain in place.

And no understatement here: Check out the digital image to see what participating homes will look like. The company launched the offer on its website Tuesday, and it was first reported by CNNMoney.

Romeo Mendoza, CEO of Adzookie, said the response has been overwhelming, with some 3,000 applications on Wednesday alone. “It’s coming in droves,” he told Developments. “We hit a nerve… I knew people needed help, but I didn’t know so many. That’s kind of sad. We can’t help everyone, but we can help some.”

Adzookie, a startup based in Anaheim, Calif., will paint its ads on at least 100 homes, keeping them in place for between three months to a year, after which the home will go back to a color of the owner’s choice. It’s possible other companies might be brought on as advertisers, he said.

Mr. Mendoza understands skepticism about the house billboards, but said it’s clear from the response that people need help. “There are some really tough stories out there.” One application, he said, came from a disabled veteran trying to get his house back.

That said, Mr. Mendoza said Adzookie won’t go into neighborhoods with code restrictions against such billboards, and it will do its due diligence on mortgages before accepting a homeowner.

The first homes could be painted in a few weeks, CNNMoney reported. Sorry, homes cannot be rented. For more details, click here.